What might've been
by ExhibitionK9
Summary: When Hermione looks back on her years at Hogwarts, something inside changes. Another one-shot. Separate from Another Night in the Hospital Wing. As always please review or pm me if you are kind enough to give feedback.


**Hi guys, this has been a great week. Published 2 stories as well as prepping a third. I know this and Another Night weren't amazing, but thanks for you guy's support. Anyway, all this is JKR's. this and that etc. On with the other story.**

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Hermione lay awake in bed. She couldn't sleep. Not after what had happened the day before. It was the day Harry won them the war, Voldemort was finally gone and every single horcrux with him. She didn't think she would ever recover. Not because of the casualties, but because of seeing Harry in Hagrids arms void of life. It was then when she knew she couldn't live without him. But she never really knew when her feelings had really began.

In first year after the troll?

In second after finding out he had visited her everyday in the Hospital Wing?

In third where they saved Sirius together?

In fourth when she saw him in the tournament fighting for his life?

In fifth when they fought at the ministry or made up the DA?

Or sixth when he was there when she needed him?

Or was it just living together the whole of last year looking for horcruxs?

She decided that all of this contributed to her falling for Harry Potter. She couldn't be with anyone but him.

Harry lay out on the Astronomy tower. He couldn't rest. Not after the Adrenaline coursing through his blood after fighting Voldemort. Many people had died around him, Remus, Tonks, Fred, he could name so many more. The blood was on his hands. They had died for him to defeat Voldemort, they lay their lives down for them and it counted. But something else that had happened broke his already torn up heart.

 **Flashback**

After defeating Voldemort, a few followers remained. Some wore hoods and went after some of the students. The shriek from Hermione and cry of pain from Neville was enough to make Harry turn. Time seemed to have stopped as he remembered seeing them being tortured. He shouted at them to stop and they did. He couldn't understand why before they pulled their hoods down. It was Ron and Ginny.

"Why?" He roared.

"I wanted fame, glory, power but you never shared the wealth. It was all yours. I never got mentioned and now I'm doing what's right. Earning my own glory-" Ron spat

"With a dead master. Ginny, I loved you what happened?" Harry interrupted. He could barely keep his tears in at seeing his former friends against him.

"Well I was always looking for your money if I'm honest, I never really thought about you. I mean look at you? Why would a beautiful pureblood woman like me go out with a weedy little half-blood boy like you?"

At this Harry stopped shaking with anger, anguish and disappointment. He knew what had happened. He'd been manipulated into befriending them and now he was here to right a wrong. Get rid of Mr. Envy and Miss. Gold-digger for good. He shot a bludgeoner at Ron and a bone breaker and blood boiling curse at Ginny with a movement so quick it seemed simultaneous. Both fell down, the life leaving their eyes before they even hit the ground.

 **Flashback over**

Harry could only weep now as he remembered the day before. But the image stuck in his head was of Ginny standing over Hermione with a wand to her head and the look of terror and fear in her eyes. It was then that he heard the door behind him open and he heard a soft voice that couldn't belong to anyone but Hermione, "Hey, can't sleep?"

He just shook his head. He felt her arm and hair and she sat down next to him and put her head on his shoulder. "I guess it's just you and me now" Harry said hollow.

"Are you coming back next year then?" Hermione asked.

This managed to make Harry smirk as he said "it depends if a certain pretty young lady is. If she does, then I will, but if not, then I'll probably go travel the world or visit one of the Potter holiday houses and stay off the grid. I've had enough publicity and all the death eaters will be looking for us."

"Well, I do hope that this certain girl makes up her mind soon, but if you want to know about me, well I was planning on going somewhere in the sun and relax without worrying about a dark lord coming after you or me."

'Always acting so clueless' Harry thought.

"Fine I'll say what you want me to say. Since you aren't going, I'm not going back. I've had enough people coming to kill me, I want to live a private life. Do you want to stay with me over the summer and take it from there?" Harry said, giving up trying to be subtle.

"Well it depends where it is. Im not going to somewhere like the Australian Outback to get my tan. I'll go to some Mediterranean place though"

"Its a good job I own a private island just for us in the Mediterranean, not far off Cicli isn't it"

"Since it's going to be warm and sunny, I expected you to be able to do everything I want you to do to make me look great" Hermione looked at the horror in his face and laughed, "don't worry I'm not that harsh, but it would be nice if you could help me with a bit of sun cream from time to time. Oh and I hope you don't mind but because it's a private island, I'm planning on getting every single part of my body tanned"

At this Harry turned bright red and mumbled something about saying it would be great before running away and saying he would get ready to leave.

She laughed and wandered to the great hall ready for the last breakfast she would have within those walls.

Harry couldn't help but remember everything that they had been through. He thought about a all the times that he and Hermione had shared in Hogwarts. Walked into his dorm room to find them all asleep. He got all his 'luggage' (A new T-shirt and jeans) went to the showers, showered and got changed. He picked up his three most important possessions (the map, the cloak and a pedant with a picture of him and Hermione from 6th year in it) and went to the hall. As he went past, he saw people smiling and cheering. It was genuinely over. He walked out to see Hermione. He could finally be normal now.

And he had his whole life before him.

 **15 years later,**

"Come on mum, dad, we'll be late. We can't get to London by car in 15 minutes."

"Don't worry Lily it's going to be fine" Harry laughed at his daughter worrying, "we'll apparate onto the platform like we always do"

A comical "Oh" was plastered on Lily's face

"Right Teddy, James we have to go" shouted Hermione

Teddy came running down the stairs ready to go while James complained about not being able to go for a few years.

"James Padfoot Potter, come down now!" Hermione demanded.

James jumped down the last few stairs look at his mum in fear before realising his mistake. His mum was never angry. Then out of nowhere he felt his dad put a hand on him and Teddy before being pulled away to kings cross.

Lily had already run off to find Emma, her friend, a kind young girl who reminded Harry of Katie Bell in his Hogwarts years, as they got on the train. Teddy was about to get on when Harry called for him.

"Look, I know you're a bit of a prankster and I shouldn't help or your mum would have me killed, but this is the Mauraders map..." he continued explaining everything it did and then he let Teddy find Victoire and Daniel Weasley his two friends. Fleur and Bill's daughter was Teddy's closest friend and together with George's son, made a dream pranking team.

The train whistle blew and Harry and Hermione found Teddy and Lily waving and with James they waved back at them before the scarlet train left their view. Life was good and more importantly for Harry, he had a lovely family with the love of his life.

The End.

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 **Well thanks for reading guys. As always please review my story, give me tips etc. I'm doing this all for you guys and I hope you enjoy my stories. My next story will start posting either this Sunday (U.K time) or next Saturday in my supposedly weekly updates XD won't last.**

 **anyway thanks for reading**

 **signing off**

 **ExhibitionK9**


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